PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. P h y s i o l o g i c a l C h e m i s t r y . 21 Oxidation of Methylic and Ethylic Alcohols in the Organism. By J. POHL (Chem. Centr., 1893, ii, 380-381 ; from Arch. Ezpt. Path. Phurrn., 31, 281-302).-Ethylic alcohol adminis- tered to a dog produces protracted deep, and when this passes off, the dog awakes in a normal condition. Methylic alcohol, on the other hand, produces restlessness, giddiness, and then broken sleep ; and the eEects of a dose last for three or four days. A dog may be dosed without harm for a year with ethylic, isobutylic, or amylic alco- hol ; but with methylic alcohol death ensues in a few weeks. In the case of poisoning by methylic alcohol, formic acid appears i n the urine, and reaches a maximum on the third or fourth day. Presence of Ammonia in the Stomach, and its Influence on the Estimation of the Hydrochloric acid.By H. STRAUSS (Chem. Centr., 1893, ii, 379-380; from Berlin. KZin. Woch., 30, 398-402). -The author confirms Rosenheim's results (Abstr., 1898, ii, 177). The only method of estimating the chlorine which is not influenced by the presence of ammonium chloride is Leo's method; the free and combined hydrochloric acid is converted into calcium chloride by means of calcium carbonate, which does not decompose the acid phosphates, and the acidity is determined before and after this treat- ment. N. C. R. E. C. R. Mineral Matter of Bones and Teeth. By S. GABRIEL (Zeit. physiol. Chem., 18, 257403).-The mineral matters in bone and teeth contain lime, magnesia,, potash, soda, water, phosphoric acid, carbonic anhydride, chlorine, and fluorine; there is, in addition, a substance which, when fused, turns red.The quantities of lime and phosphoric acid, which are the most abundant constituents, vary but little, and are proportional one to the other; the amounts of magnesia and carbonic anhydride are also proportional to each other. The amount of potash is greater than that of soda. The quantity of chlorine is very small, and is greater in the teeth (0.21 per cent.) than in bone. Fluorine is the minimal constituent of both (as a rule not over 0$5 -per cent.), and is not more abundant in teeth than in bone. Water is present in two forms : one part, passing off at 300-350", is similar to water of crystallisation ; the other part is only expelled by fusion with silicic acid, and is an expression of the basicity of the phosphate, and is called water of constitution or acidic water.The bone phosphate has a basic character, containing 15 equiva- lents of acid to 16 of base; and it is probably a loose union of a22 ABSTRAOTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS. normal with a basic phosphate. The composition of the ash finds its simplest expreasion in the formula Ca3(PO4)? + Ca,HP,O,, + Aq), in which 2 to 3 per cent. of the lime is replaced by magnesia, potash, and soda, and 4 to 6 per cent. of the phosphoric acid by carbonic anhydride, chlorine, and fluorine. The limit of variation is, however, small; and the differences between bone ash and tooth ash are not greater than those between the ash of different bones. W.D. H. Amount of Fluorine in Teeth. By E. WRAMPELMEYER (Zeit. anal. Chem., 32, 550-553) .-The author employed Carnot’s method (Abstr., 1892, 911), and obtained the following numbers. Healthy teeth of adults.. ...... 1.37 per cent. of fluorine Diseased ,, ,, ......... 1.16 .. ,? Healthy ,, children. ..... 0.65 .. >3 Diseaned ,, ,, ...... 1-40 ,? 7, whence he infers that no direct conclusion as to the soundness of teeth can be drawn from the percentage of fluorine they contain. Each sample of teeth consisted of 4 molars, 2 incisors, and 1 canine tooth. Test analyses with pure potassium silicofluoride gave 93.5 and 93.8 per cent. M. J. S. Chemistry of the Refractive Media of the Eye. By C. T. MORNER (Zeit. physiol. Chem., 18, 213-256 ; compare Abstr., 1893, ii, 424) .-The Cornea.-This is considered in its separate layers.The substaiztia propria of the cornea was considered by Miiller to consist of a chondrigenous substance similar to that found in hyaline cartilage. Morochowetz showed that chondrin, here as elsewhere, i R not a chemical unit, but a mixture of gelatin with it mucino’id material. This has been confirmed since then, and special attention is here paid to the mucinoid material, which is here called cornea- Wzccoid, It was extracted with dilute alkali, and precipitated from the extract by acetic or hydrochloric acid. Its percentage composi- tion is C, 50.16; H, 6.97; N, 12-79; S, 2.07; 0, 28.01. It closely resembles in its properties the mucolds found in hyaline cartilage and the vitreous humor, and the pseudo-mucin of ovarian fluid.The gelatin obtained from the collagen, the other main cocstituent of the cornea, resembles that obtained from other sources. The mucoid and collagen of the sclerotic are identical with those obtained from the cornea. Only traces of pure protei’d matter are obtainable from the sub- stalztia propria of the cornea ; the larger quantities previously de- scribed originated doubtless from the epithelial layer. This layer yields abnndance of proteid matter which very closely resembles para- globulin in its properties. Nuclein was not obtained, neither was any trace of myosin found. Descemet’s membrane resembles in its chemioal propeyties the membranes of the lens and vitreous humor. These membrapes consist of a mechanical mixture of a mucinoid material with sparingly soluble, nitrogen-rich (14.7 7 per cent.) albumino’id substance, which agreea in its properties neither with collagen norPHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY.23 with elastin. Descemet’s membrane is not digested by either gastric or paucreatic juice, but the lens capsule is completely dissolved. The solubilities of the lens capsule in other reagents are greater than those of Descemet’s membrane. The main substance of the lens capsule is very like elastin. The Vitreous Humor.-The fluid filtered off from the vitreous humor contains proteid and mucin. Observers differ as to the variety of proteid present, and also as to the presence or absence of mucin. It was found necessary to dilute the fluid very considerably before acetic acid caused a precipitate of mucin.This may account for the discrepancy. It is regarded as a mucoid rather than as mucin proper ; it contains 12.27 nitrogen and 1.19 sulphur per cent. The membranes of the vitreous yield gelatin. Aqueous Humor.-This contains proteid, but no mucin. Absence of Bile Acids, Hippuric acid, and Benzoic acid from the Suprarenal Capsules. By E. STADELMANN (Zeit. physiol. Chem., 18, 380--396).-Recent experiments on the functions of the suprarenal capsules render it necessary that exact knowledge should be obtained of their chemical composition. The present research shows that certain substances described bv other authors in the W. D. H. .I glands, namely, bile acids, hippuric and benzoic acids, are not present. W. D. H. Protei’ds of Milk. By M. ARTHUS (Arch.de physiol., 1893, 673-677) .-The experiments show that, in addition t o case’inogen, milk contains other prote’ids. These differ from caseinogen in being coagulable by heat, and, like Sebelien, the author separates them into lactalbumin and lactoglobulin. Alcalptonuria. By H. EMBDEN (Zeit. physiol. Chem., 18, 304- 334 ; compare Abstr., 1893, ii, 82).-It has been abundantly shown since the publication of Wolkow and Baumann’s researches on this subject (Abstr., 1891, 1128 ; 1892, 925), that the abnormal substance known as alcapton is homogentisic acid. References to published cases are given; in one of these glycosuria was present as well. The present paper relates to certain experiments on metabolism, per- formed with a view of testing the correctnem of the hypothesis that the abnormal constituent of the urine originates by an unusual form of metabolism from tyrosine.The first experiments were performed on the patient alluded to in the author’s previous publication. It was found that the acid in the urine was increased by a flesh diet, that the administration of tyrosine doubled the excretion of the acid, that phenylacetic and phenylamido- acetic acids had no such influence, that oil of turpentine, kephir, and castor oil, although lessening the combined sulphates of the urine due to lessened putrefaction in the alimentary canal, had little or no in- fluence on the amount of homogentisic acid. On administering the acid by the mouth, about 75 per cent. was excreted in the urine. Another point noted in the urine of this patient was an abnormally low excretion of uric acid (estimated by Fokker’s method).The second series of experiments performed on healthy men and animals W. D. H.24 ABSTRACTS OF CHEBIIGAL PAPERS. showed that after the administration of the acid (by the mouth in man and by subcutaneous injection in dogs), the urine assumed all the characters of the urine of alcaptonuria, the amount of acid recovered in the urine being considerable, but nevertheless indicating that some had been destroyed i n the living tissues. Rare Urinary Calculi. By J. HORBACZEWSKI (Zeit. physiol. Chem., 18, 335-340).-The first stone examined was a fatty concretion, and analysis gave the following result. Water ................................. 2.5 Ash .................................. 0.8 Organic matter insoluble in ether ......... 11.7 Organic matter soluble in ether. .......... 85.0 W. D. H. Per cent. Containing- Free fatty acids .................... 51.5 Fats ............................... 33.5 Cholesterol.. ....................... traces. The organic matter insoluble in ether contained insoluble soaps of calcium and magnesium, and probably some blood prote'id and mucin . The second stone was a cholesterol concretion. It contained- Per cent. Water.... ............................ 3.76 Ash ................................. 0.55 Organic matter ........................ 95.99 Cholesterol.. ...................... 95.87 Containing- Organic matter insoluble iu ether .... 0.15 W. D. H.